Free state tax filing in 2026: a state-by-state map
State returns are the part of free filing most likely to cost money. The IRS subsidises federal Free File. State Departments of Revenue do not. Some states run their own free portals; some rely on Free File partners that include free state; some leave filers to pay or paper-file. This page maps every state.
The three paths to a free state return
Three structural paths exist. Almost every filer's state lands in one of them.
- No state income tax. Nine states tax neither wage nor general income. Filers in these states have no state filing requirement at all.
- State-run free e-file portal. The state's Department of Revenue runs its own free e-file system. CalFile in California, myPATH in Pennsylvania, MassTaxConnect in Massachusetts, and several others. Eligibility rules vary by state, but most are free with no income limit.
- Free File partner with free state. Some IRS Free File partners include free state filing for some states. Use the IRS partner browser's state filter to find a partner who covers yours.
For states with neither a state-run portal nor a Free File partner offering free state, the choices narrow to a paid commercial product or paper-filing the state forms.
The nine no-tax states
Filers in these states have no state filing requirement on general income.
New Hampshire taxes interest and dividend income, but is in the process of phasing that tax out. Check NH DOR for current-year status if you have meaningful interest or dividend income.
State picker
Pick your state, get your free path
Has income tax?
Yes
State-run free portal
Recommended path
CalFile (no income limit, FTB-run) is the strongest free state path.
States with their own free portals
Several state Departments of Revenue maintain free state-only e-file systems. These are usually free with no income limit, are run on state infrastructure, and handle only the state return (the federal must be filed separately, often through Free File or MilTax). The state-by-state table below lists the portal where one exists.
States that rely on Free File partners
For states without their own free portal, a Free File partner that offers free state for that state is the next-best path. The IRS partner browser filters by state, surfacing only partners that cover free state filing for your residency.
This option ties you to the AGI rules of IRS Free File. Above the $89,000 ceiling, the partner-with-free-state path is not available, and the state choice narrows to a paid product or paper filing.
States with no free path
A small number of states have neither a state-run free portal nor a Free File partner offering free state for them. For these, options:
- Pay for state filing in a commercial product. Typical state-only fee in the $15-$40 range.
- Paper-file the state return. Always free. The state DOR website hosts printable PDF forms. Slower processing, more error-prone, but $0.
- Wait and watch. States are gradually adding state-run free portals. A state without one this year may have one within two filing seasons.
50-state summary table
Compact view of every state and DC with its free filing recommendation. Click the state portal where one exists to verify directly with the state DOR.
| State | Income tax? | State-run portal | Recommended path |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Yes | My Alabama Taxes (MAT) | MAT free e-file or a Free File partner offering free Alabama state. |
| Alaska | No | Not applicable | No state filing required. |
| Arizona | Yes | AZTaxes.gov | AZTaxes.gov free e-file (eligibility-based) or a Free File partner. |
| Arkansas | Yes | None verified | Free File partner offering free Arkansas state, or paper filing. |
| California | Yes | CalFile (Franchise Tax Board) | CalFile (no income limit, FTB-run) is the strongest free state path. |
| Colorado | Yes | Revenue Online | Revenue Online for state e-file, or a Free File partner. |
| Connecticut | Yes | myconneCT | myconneCT free e-file. |
| Delaware | Yes | None verified | Free File partner with free Delaware state, or paper filing. |
| District of Columbia | Yes | MyTax.DC.gov | MyTax.DC.gov free e-file. |
| Florida | No | Not applicable | No state filing required. |
| Georgia | Yes | Georgia Tax Center | Georgia Tax Center or a Free File partner. |
| Hawaii | Yes | Hawaii Tax Online | Hawaii Tax Online free e-file. |
| Idaho | Yes | None verified | Free File partner offering free Idaho state. |
| Illinois | Yes | MyTax Illinois | MyTax Illinois free e-file. |
| Indiana | Yes | INTIME | INTIME for state e-file, or a Free File partner. |
| Iowa | Yes | None verified | Free File partner offering free Iowa state. |
| Kansas | Yes | WebFile (Kansas Department of Revenue) | Kansas WebFile free e-file. |
| Kentucky | Yes | None verified | Free File partner offering free Kentucky state. |
| Louisiana | Yes | Louisiana File Online | Louisiana File Online free e-file. |
| Maine | Yes | Maine Tax Portal | Maine Tax Portal free e-file. |
| Maryland | Yes | iFile (Maryland) | Maryland iFile free e-file. |
| Massachusetts | Yes | MassTaxConnect | MassTaxConnect free e-file (no income limit). |
| Michigan | Yes | None verified | Free File partner offering free Michigan state. |
| Minnesota | Yes | None verified | Free File partner offering free Minnesota state. |
| Mississippi | Yes | TAP (Mississippi) | Mississippi TAP free e-file. |
| Missouri | Yes | None verified | Free File partner offering free Missouri state. |
| Montana | Yes | Transaction Portal (TAP) | Montana TAP free e-file. |
| Nebraska | Yes | NebFile | NebFile free e-file. |
| Nevada | No | Not applicable | No state filing required. |
| New Hampshire | No | Not applicable | No general income tax. The interest/dividend tax is being phased out; check NH DOR for current status. |
| New Jersey | Yes | NJ Online Filing | NJ Online Filing free e-file. |
| New Mexico | Yes | Taxpayer Access Point (TAP) | New Mexico TAP free e-file. |
| New York | Yes | NY State Free Filing Options | NY State free filing options (income-eligibility based) or a Free File partner. |
| North Carolina | Yes | None verified | Free File partner offering free North Carolina state. |
| North Dakota | Yes | None verified | Free File partner offering free North Dakota state. |
| Ohio | Yes | Ohio Department of Taxation | Ohio Department of Taxation free filing options. |
| Oklahoma | Yes | OkTAP | OkTAP free e-file. |
| Oregon | Yes | Revenue Online (Oregon) | Oregon Revenue Online free e-file. |
| Pennsylvania | Yes | myPATH | myPATH free e-file (no income limit). |
| Rhode Island | Yes | None verified | Free File partner offering free Rhode Island state. |
| South Carolina | Yes | MyDORWAY | MyDORWAY free e-file. |
| South Dakota | No | Not applicable | No state filing required. |
| Tennessee | No | Not applicable | No state filing required. |
| Texas | No | Not applicable | No state filing required. |
| Utah | Yes | Taxpayer Access Point (TAP) | Utah TAP free e-file. |
| Vermont | Yes | myVTax | myVTax free e-file. |
| Virginia | Yes | Virginia Tax (file online) | Virginia Tax free filing options. |
| Washington | No | Not applicable | No state filing required (general income). |
| West Virginia | Yes | MyTaxes (West Virginia) | MyTaxes WV free e-file. |
| Wisconsin | Yes | WisTax | WisTax free e-file. |
| Wyoming | No | Not applicable | No state filing required. |
Sources: state Department of Revenue websites; IRS Find a Trusted Partner tool. Verify eligibility on the state portal directly before filing; some portals have residency or income filters that change between seasons.
Cross-references
State filing decisions interact with federal-filing choices.
- If you are military and have multi-state filing, MilTax handles up to 5 states free.
- To find a Free File partner that includes free state for yours, use the IRS partner browser.
- For state-fee patterns and how to avoid them, When "free" isn't free.
Frequently asked
Which states have no income tax?
Nine states have no broad-based income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming. New Hampshire taxes interest and dividends only and is in the process of phasing that out. Filers in these states have no state filing requirement.
Does my state have its own free filing portal?
Many do. California (CalFile), Pennsylvania (myPATH), Massachusetts (MassTaxConnect), New York (free filing options), Maryland (iFile), Hawaii (Hawaii Tax Online), Connecticut (myconneCT), and others run free state-only e-file. The state picker above shows the portal for each state where one exists.
What if my state does not have a free portal?
Use an IRS Free File partner that includes free state for your state. The IRS partner browser filters by state. If no partner offers free state for yours, options narrow to a paid product or paper filing on the state's PDF forms.
Can I file federal one way and state another?
Yes. There is no requirement that federal and state come from the same software. Filing federal through IRS Free File and state through a state-run portal is common and entirely legitimate. Filing federal with Fillable Forms and state through a state portal also works.
If I move mid-year, how do part-year returns work?
Most states have a part-year resident return that prorates income to the period of residency. State portals typically support these, as do most Free File partners and MilTax (which is built for this case). The math is more involved than a single-state return; if your AGI is low enough, VITA volunteers can prepare part-year returns.
Do state portals support state-only filing without federal?
Generally yes for state-run portals; they only handle the state return. The state portal is not connected to a federal flow. If you have already filed federal elsewhere, the state portal will still accept your state return.